ETHIOPIA GOVERNMENT TO MEET WITH PHARMA COMPANIES

Ethiopia's federal government is in the process of designing a development strategy for the country's pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, and Ministry of Trade and Industry officials and representatives of pharmaceutical companies are to meet today. The government is looking for input from drugmakers.

The first pharmaceutical company in Ethiopia was EPHARM, founded in 1964, and it was the only one for 28 years. The first private pharmaceutical company, Addis Pharmaceuticals, was opened in 1992. Close to 10 pharmaceutical companies have been established in the country since.

But two companies that produced IV fluids, Lifeline Solutions and BIOSOL Pharmaceuticals, were shut down within a few years of opening. The Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Medical Supplies Association has been lobbying for greater government support ever since. The hope is that an agreement can be reached similar to the one formed two years ago for export businesses, which included generous government loans and support.